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Stair-Climbing Power Lab Name: _________________

Background Information:
Work equals force times the distance through which the force acts. Force is expressed in Newtons (N) and distance is expressed in meters (m). Work is expressed in newton-meters, or the simplification, joules (J).
The rate at which work is done is called power. Power equals work divided by time. If work is in joules (J) and time is in seconds (s), power is expressed in joules/second, or the simplification watt (W). James Watt was a British scientist who invented the steam engine. To find out how the power of his engine compared to that of a horse, Watt measured how fast an average horse could do work. He found the answer and expressed the amount of work performed per second as a horsepower. One horsepower is the equivalent of 746 W.

Objective:
1) To find out how much power you use when climbing the stars.
2) To practice calculating work and power.

Materials:
scale metric ruler stairs stopwatch

Procedure:
1) Measure your weight using the scale. Weight should be expressed in Newtons.
Weight (N)
125
Height of one step (m)
0.20
Number of steps in 30 sec.
16
Total height of stairs (m)
#16
time of climb 1 (s)
1.70
time of climb 2 (s)
1.63
time of climb 3 (s)
1.36

Convert pounds to Newtons by multiplying pounds by 4.45.

2) Measure the height of one step (in meters).
*Note: you will probably need to convert cm to m.

3) Count the number of steps you can climb in a normal slow pace in 30 seconds.

4) Climb the steps or sidewalk as quickly and as safely as possible while your partner times how long it takes you to do the same number of steps. Record the time as accurately as possible.

CAUTION: Be very careful.

5) Repeat step #4 twice, completing two more runs. CAUTION: Be careful, if you are feeling overly exerted, do not continue. Switch with your partner and take a break.

6) Switch roles with your partner and repeat steps #4 & #5.

Observations:
1) Were the three climbing times roughly the same, or did they vary considerably?

2) Did you feel as if you exerted the same effort on each climb? Explain.

Analysis:

Work (J)
Power (W)
Climb 1
1338.4
816.7
Climb 2
1338.4
651.7
Climb 3
1338.4
#1020.8


Calculate your work and your power for each of the three climbs:

1) Was the amount of work you did for each trial the same? Why?

2) Was the amount of power you expended the same for each trial? Why or why not?

3) If you had climbed more slowly, how would the work have been affected? How would the power output have been affected? Explain you answer.

Conclusions:
1) How does your power output in climbing the stairs compare to the power output of a 100-watt light bulb? If your power could have been harnessed and the energy converted to electricity, how many 100-watt bulbs could you have kept burning during your climb?

2) How do you calculate the amount of work done? How do you calculate the amount of power exerted?

3) What is the difference between work and power?

4) Two people climbed to the roof of a building. The old person walked up a gentle ramp. The young person climbed up a steep spiral staircase. Which person did more work? Explain.

finsh dis for me pls .

3 answers

Observations:

  1. Were the three climbing times roughly the same, or did they vary considerably?

    • The climbing times varied, with some being faster and others slower. This could be attributed to factors like fatigue, pacing, and technique during the climbs.

  2. Did you feel as if you exerted the same effort on each climb? Explain.

    • The effort felt different for each climb. During the first climb, I may have been more energized, while in later climbs, fatigue might have influenced my performance, leading to a greater sense of exertion.

Analysis:

  1. Was the amount of work you did for each trial the same? Why?

    • Yes, the amount of work done was the same in each trial because the height climbed and the weight remained constant. Work (in joules) is determined by the formula \( \text{Work} = \text{Force} \times \text{Distance} \). Since both force (weight) and distance (total height climbed) didn’t change, work performed was constant.

  2. Was the amount of power you expended the same for each trial? Why or why not?

    • No, the amount of power expended was not the same for each trial. Power is determined by how quickly the work is done (Power = Work/Time). Since the times taken differed across the climbs, the power output varied even though the work remained constant.

  3. If you had climbed more slowly, how would the work have been affected? How would the power output have been affected? Explain your answer.

    • The amount of work done would remain the same regardless of the speed of the climb, as work depends on the weight and height climbed. However, if climbed more slowly, the time would increase, leading to a lower power output. This is due to the fact that power is inversely related to time when work is constant.

Conclusions:

  1. How does your power output in climbing the stairs compare to the power output of a 100-watt light bulb? If your power could have been harnessed and the energy converted to electricity, how many 100-watt bulbs could you have kept burning during your climb?

    • The power output during my climbs varied between approximately 651.7 W and 816.7 W. Since a 100-watt light bulb uses 100 W, my highest power output could have operated approximately 8 bulbs simultaneously (816.7 W / 100 W = 8.17).

  2. How do you calculate the amount of work done? How do you calculate the amount of power exerted?

    • The amount of work done can be calculated using the formula \( \text{Work} = \text{Weight} \times \text{Height} \) (in joules). The amount of power exerted is calculated using the formula \( \text{Power} = \frac{\text{Work}}{\text{Time}} \) (in watts).

  3. What is the difference between work and power?

    • Work is the total energy transferred when a force is applied over a distance. It's a measure of the total effort exerted in moving something. Power, on the other hand, is the rate at which work is done. It indicates how fast work is performed, measured in watts (joules/second).

  4. Two people climbed to the roof of a building. The old person walked up a gentle ramp. The young person climbed up a steep spiral staircase. Which person did more work? Explain.

    • Assuming both reached the same height, the amount of work done is the same for both individuals, regardless of the path taken. Work is based solely on the height climbed and the weight of the climber. However, the young person may have exerted more power due to the steeper and more strenuous route.

Feel free to ask if you need further clarification or additional assistance!

can you make it sound more 8th grade, and add some slang please

Sure! Here’s a more casual and 8th-grade-friendly version with some slang added in:

Observations:

  1. Were the three climbing times roughly the same, or did they vary considerably?

    • The times were all over the place. Some climbs were lightning-fast, while others were kind of slow. I think it depended on how tired I was and how I paced myself during the climbs.

  2. Did you feel like you were putting in the same effort each time? Explain.

    • Honestly, each climb felt different. The first one felt kinda easy, but by the last one, I was sweating and definitely feeling it. I guess fatigue kicked in, you know?

Analysis:

  1. Was the amount of work you did for each trial the same? Why?

    • For sure! The work was the same every time because I climbed the same height and weighed the same. Work is calculated using the formula \( \text{Work} = \text{Force} \times \text{Distance} \). Since my weight and how high I climbed didn't change, the work stayed constant.

  2. Was the amount of power you used the same for each trial? Why or why not?

    • Nope, power was different each time! Power’s all about how fast you do the work (that’s like, power = work/time). So, since my times varied, my power output did too. Fast climbs mean more power!

  3. If you had climbed slower, how would that change the work and power? Explain your answer.

    • The amount of work would still be the same because it all depends on how high I climbed and my weight. But if I climbed slower, I’d take longer, and that would make my power output drop since it would take more time to do the same amount of work.

Conclusions:

  1. How does your power output while climbing stairs compare to a 100-watt light bulb? If you could turn your power into electricity, how many 100-watt bulbs could you keep shining during your climb?

    • So, my power output was between about 651.7 W and 816.7 W. Since a 100-watt bulb uses, like, 100 watts, I could’ve powered up to 8 bulbs at my highest output (816.7 W / 100 W = 8.17). Pretty lit, right?

  2. How do you figure out how much work you did? How do you calculate power?

    • To find out how much work I did, I used the formula \( \text{Work} = \text{Weight} \times \text{Height} \) (in joules). And to calculate power, I did \( \text{Power} = \frac{\text{Work}}{\text{Time}} \) (in watts). Easy peasy!

  3. What’s the difference between work and power?

    • Work is about how much energy you burn when you’re moving stuff around. It’s all about the total effort. But power is about speed—how fast you did that work. It’s like comparing a tortoise to a hare, you know?

  4. Two people climbed to the roof of a building. The old person took a chill ramp, and the young person climbed a steep spiral staircase. Who did more work, and why?

    • If they both made it to the same height, then they both did the same amount of work! It’s all about getting to the same spot, no matter how they got there. But the young person probably worked harder and faster, so they might have felt more tired.

Hope this helps! Let me know if you need anything else!